Healer role design change?

[Allegor]

I'm not a raider but I think unless the CDR is rng, and/or it resets the cooldown instead of reducing it (like Bard's Bloodletter during Mage's Ballad), people would be using the "new cd" consistently enough that they might as well reduce the ability's default cd altogether - wasn't that what happened with Assize at the end of SB?

[Shurrikhan]

Cooldown reduction is tricky in a setting like FFXIV. Let's say lilies could reliably reduce the cooldown of certain actions by 50%. If we're talking about a healing resource like Tetragrammaton, that means we're taking a 60 second cooldown down to 30 seconds, but unless you use Tetra immediately, every second you're sitting on it after the 30 second cooldown is rapidly declining the value of the cooldown reduction effect.

Is this supposed to be in response to the specific CDR idea above, or in general?

The idea suggested above doesn't add to that problem, as it only rushes the still-cooling CD chosen rather than reducing the recast time of the next use (as per original Spear).

It also doesn't rush/accelerate all CDs simultaneously... only the one chosen.

I'm not a raider but I think unless the CDR is rng, and/or it resets the cooldown instead of reducing it (like Bard's Bloodletter during Mage's Ballad), people would be using the "new cd" consistently enough that they might as well reduce the ability's default cd altogether - wasn't that what happened with Assize at the end of SB?

People were spending Stormblood Lilies on Assize simply because it was by far the best choice on which to spend Lilies (because its solely percentage-CDR favored accelerating long CDs, and of those long CDs, Assize was the only one worth accelerating). It wasn't particularly that they were trying to fit in an extra Assize per raid buff cycle (back then, the oGCD 400cp was still frequently vital for actual healing in Savage), but simply that it was the least wasteful option for an then-underpowered mechanic.

Had the Lilies also reduced a flat amount of seconds (which in turn favors shorter CDs instead) and the CDR was immediate instead of applying to the next use, you'd likely have seen more varied spending, especially if they just didn't leave Assize so damn OP compared to everything else / everything else so lackluster relative to Assize.

[ty_taurus]

Is this supposed to be in response to the specific CDR idea above, or in general?

The idea suggested above doesn't add to that problem, as it only rushes the still-cooling CD chosen rather than reducing the recast time of the next use (as per original Spear).

It also doesn't rush/accelerate all CDs simultaneously... only the one chosen.

It was more just a general thought on the usability of CDR in this game with how much weight is placed on every individual second.

[AmiableApkallu]

this game with how much weight is placed on every individual second.

I'm into my cups, so I'm going to push back: How true is that, really? What content in this game requires you to play to absolute, mathematical perfection for 8+, 10+, 15+ minutes?

Like, I get the desire to optimize spreadsheets, and to collect high-scoring spreadsheets. But what content are you running, what gear are you running it with such that "every individual second" actually makes the difference between wiping vs. clearing?

[Shurrikhan]

It was more just a general thought on the usability of CDR in this game with how much weight is placed on every individual second.

Again, though... you're not describing a change there as a result of CDR-as-a-mechanic, only... of greater APM in general outside of filler GCDs. That "problem" would already be the literal case from just having one more oGCD to fit in your opener, or any CD being shortened or spender taking less time to generate.

And, in the particular example, again... these are oGCD heals (or hybrids) we're talking about, and in this case with a massive banking margin (5 Medica II's worth) that can be spent perfectly on demand on precisely the ability that one wants to use before it has fully cooled. Yeah, it'd offer increased APM, but the result of the 'rush'-ed CD use is... a full CD (though one again 'rush'-able), not something inherently more likely to go to waste.

[ty_taurus]

I'm into my cups, so I'm going to push back: How true is that, really? What content in this game requires you to play to absolute, mathematical perfection for 8+, 10+, 15+ minutes?

Like, I get the desire to optimize spreadsheets, and to collect high-scoring spreadsheets. But what content are you running, what gear are you running it with such that "every individual second" actually makes the difference between wiping vs. clearing?

I agree that there's a value in weighing practicality into the equation, but what I meant was how specific and down to the number this community tends to get when it comes to squeezing optimization out of each job. On Dancer, for example, one of the values that has been brought up of the action Tilana, a 1.5 second GCD timer follow-up after Technical Finish, is that you get 1 extra GCD in the last second of Devilment after Technical Finish Falls off. That's more what I meant about weight in each second.

[Zarkovitch]

Healer should only have raise and have it instant cast due caster should be dpsing not raising. That would kill 2 bird 1 stone with caster balance and healer support ability.

[GoatOfWar]

nope they were designed to heal. the only reason they had DPS spells at all was for solo play. thats why they never accounted for healer damage in dps checks and stuff..

the issue being they dont want players to get too hurt, because it puts too much pressure and stress on healers and they wont play the role or something..

This is just a laughably bad comment, i'm sorry. Did they remove solo play? No. Healers didn't have damage spells for solo play, otherwise they'd still have them. But even after the removal of damage buttons, they still spend the vast majority of their time doing damage.. You only need so much healing after all, and just standing still doing nothing is beyond silly. Healers have *always* spent most of their time doing damage, that's what they were designed to do. And this remains true even in the most challenging content in the game. Your healers are required to deal damage to deal with the dps check anyways. People want the damage buttons back. The game will never be structured in such a way where you spend most of your time healing. Again, they were designed to be dps that deal with scripted incoming damage that comes in periodically. Just like tanks are.

You can demand for more healing checks, and they might deliver it here and there. But it will never be enough to change the actual gameplay much outside of a 10 second window.
You're much better off rallying behind the people who want an engaging damage rotation for healers instead of gatekeeping them to keep things the way they are now - where the reward for learning how to play your job is vastly inferior gameplay.
They would have to rework 10 years worth of content to get the game into a place where healing is required at all times. It's not going to happen.

[vetch]

Healers have *always* spent most of their time doing damage, that's what they were designed to do. And this remains true even in the most challenging content in the game.

Found someone who hasn't done Coils MINE.

[PercibelTheren]

I would like them to do one of two things. Either:

A: Make me use my healing tools if you're gonna keep giving me so many. I have a massive arsenal of heals but I'm encouraged to only ever use my GCD healing when things are going horribly wrong. Otherwise it's all regen/OGCD heals and mindless 1 button damage spells.

B: Remove some of the obsolete healing tools (seriously, Cure I and Benefic I can just upgrade to their stronger versions, the RNG part of them isn't even worth it) that nobody uses and give healers more damage options.

I think the most fun I have ever had on a healer in any MMO was Rift's Chloromancer, which was a healer who had to be proactive because most of its healing was done through dealing damage and debuffing the enemy. It had spot heals, but they couldn't cover the entire demand for healing. I was excited for Sage when I heard it was "deal damage to heal" but it turns out Kardia is basically just a glorified regen on the tank.